Our 2017-2018 academic year is well underway, highlighted by the exciting addition of both a new campus and a new academic program! KCU-Kansas City welcomed a new class of 281 students into the College of Osteopathic Medicine (COM), with our new Joplin campus welcoming an additional 150 inaugural COM students. Our incoming class for the College of Biosciences (COB) totals a record 123 students, including 12 inaugural students in our new doctoral program in Clinical Psychology (PsyD).

Orientation Activities Take Center Stage

Joplin White Coating Ceremony

Orientation week for both KCU-Kansas City and KCU-Joplin COM students culminated in the traditional white coating ceremony. Student doctors at both campuses were joined by family and friends, who celebrated the beginning of students' journey to becoming osteopathic

KC White Coating Ceremony

physicians. Watch our Kansas City and Joplin ceremonies on YouTube! Read the local coverage of our new campus' first white coating ceremony in the Joplin Globe.

COB Pinning Ceremony

During the COB convocation and pinning ceremony, KCU celebrated our new students' entry into the biomedical sciences and psychology.

Family and friends gathered in the Academic Center for this special event recognizing our new class, and enjoyed a reception immediately following.

COB WE CARE Day Volunteers

As part of our orientation activities, KCU students, faculty and staff from both campuses participated in our annual WE CARE Community Service Days, the University's single-largest volunteer effort. In total, 653 volunteers participated with 33 local non-profit agencies, providing more than 1,800 hours of community service! Check out the photosin our Facebook album.

On behalf of our entire KCU family, welcome to each and every one of our new KCU students. And to all of our returning students, we are pleased to have you back on campus and wish you every success in the coming academic year.

KCU Meets the Mabee Challenge

Center for Medical Education Innovation

Our University will receive a $1 million grant from the J.E. and L.E. Mabee Foundation, thanks to the success of our Mabee Challenge, which raised more than $6.5 million needed to leverage the grant. The money raised meets the capital priority for our Leading the Way campaign, the major focus of which is construction of our new Center for Medical Education Innovation. KCU continues to work to raise the remaining $4 million needed to reach the $8.5 million goal for our other campaign priorities, which include: $4 million towards scholarships and faculty support; $2.5 million for research; and $2 million for outreach programs. We're grateful to our many donors, including 80 percent of our faculty and staff who contributed to the campaign! Read more.

Class of 2018 COMLEX 1 Pass Rates Highest in the Country

KCU-COM medical students from the Class of 2018 have ranked number one in the nation for first-attempt pass rates on the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Exam (COMLEX) Level 1. KCU's pass rate was 98.82%, compared to the national average of just 92.70%, and our mean score was nearly 32 points higher than the national average. KCU student performance on the COMLEX Level 1 has consistently ranked above the national average for the last four years, with our performance this year dramatically outpacing the average of our counterparts. Our record COMLEX scores are a testament to the commitment of our students and to the dedication of our faculty and staff to become the most student-focused medical university in the nation. Congratulations KCU-COM Class of 2018! Learn more.

KCU continues to be busy with many upcoming events and activities. Here are some important dates to keep in mind.

Stay connected with your University! Follow me@KCUMBpresident to learn more about the latest KCU initiatives and updates in the osteopathic profession.

Renowned Author on Race and Medicine Lectures at KCU

Damon Tweedy, MD, assistant professor of psychiatry at Duke University Medical Center and author of New York Times bestseller "Black Man in a White Coat," shared his personal experiences and insights into race and medicine as part of the third annual Current Issues in Bioethics Lecture Series co-sponsored by KCU and the Center for Practical Bioethics. Dr. Tweedy addressed the challenges for African Americans as both patients and doctors, and the impact of those challenges on disparities in health care in the U.S. KCU students, faculty and staff; guests from University of Missouri-Kansas City and Kansas University Medical Center (KUMC); and members of the community attended the Aug. 9 talk and book-signing. The lecture was live broadcast to our Joplin campus and to KUMC. Listen to the KCUR radio interview with Dr. Tweedy and watch his lecture on YouTube. Read more.

Andi Canhasi has wanted to be a doctor since he was 4 years old living in war-torn Kosovo. After fleeing his country and growing up in the U.S., his dream is now coming true as he pursues a DO/MBA dual-degree at KCU. Student doctor Canhasi is also paying forward his blessings by helping to send medical supplies back to his home country through volunteerism with the local Franciscan Mission warehouse. He was introduced to the warehouse's work during his participation with KCU's WE CARE Day of community service. Read his remarkable story in The Catholic Key.

KCU Trustee Len Calabrese, DO, to Study Empathy in Medical Students

Empathy is the key to doctors' ability to connect with patients, and help them heal and adopt long-term healthy behaviors. But how do you teach and measure empathy in physicians-to-be? KCU alum and renowned HIV researcher Dr. Len Calabrese will be researching answers to those questions in a groundbreaking nationwide study sponsored by the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine in collaboration with the Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University. The study will involve first-year KCU osteopathic medical students from both the Kansas City and Joplin campuses. Read more.

KCU Welcomes MU to Regional

Research Consortium

The University of Missouri is the fourth area research institution to become part of the Kansas City Consortium on Musculoskeletal Diseases (KCMD). MU joins KCU, the University of Missouri-Kansas City and the University of Kansas Medical Center, bringing even greater talent and resources to bear on treating muscle and bone diseases. The consortium was formed in 2015 and is the first of its kind in Kansas City, providing valuable opportunities for research collaboration, as well as student research education.

College of Biosciences Dean Dr. Robert White didn't see it at first. But when the Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute (KCALSI) issued its call for entries for Science to Art 2017, the image that had long hung on his office wall took on a new visual quality. Now, the celestial-like cross-section of a mouse heart, titled "Heart of the Galaxy," joins a number of selected entries that will be part of a silent auction to benefit Science Technology Engineering Art and Mathematics (STEAM) education. The auction will be held during KCALSI's annual dinner Sept.19.; this year's entries are currently on exhibit through Sept. 3 at The Kemper at the Crossroads gallery. Learn more about Science to Art 2017.

We have more exciting news than ever before at KCU! In addition to the important updates included in this month's e-newsletter, be sure to check out the current issue of KCU Magazine and visit KCU News for other stories, such as: